Over the River LVII

October 28, 2019

Highlights from my 57th two-wheeled trip to the Great State of New York:

1. At the Homer Bridge, I was following a fellow cyclist with no light, no reflectors, no reflective vest and virtually no air in his back tire. I turned at Taylor Road, but he continued east along York Road, a high-traffic highway with no paved shoulders, into the bright early morning sun. Oy.

2. At the Rainbow Bridge, I helped guide a fellow cyclist who was unsure as to whether she should walk her bike across on the pedestrian walkway or ride with the cars. You’re welcome.

2a. Dear Niagara Falls Bridge Commission: Isn’t it time you put up signage at the bridge as well as detailed instructions on your website giving the proper procedure for cyclists to cross both the Rainbow and Lewiston-Queenston Bridges instead of relying on yours truly?

2b. The aforementioned cyclistette was one of so many I’ve noticed recently who wasn’t wearing a helmet. Nothing upstairs to protect, I suppose.

7. I waited longer in line at the Tim Hortons at Pine Avenue and Hyde Park Boulevard than I did at U.S. and Canadian customs combined.

8. The bag I got my food in had a red maple leaf on it. Was that just because they figured I was a Canadian?

9. While eating, someone came in and tried to pay his $5.71 order with a $100 bill. When informed that they don’t accept $100 bills, he turned around and asked if anyone had change before going out to his car to find bills in smaller denominations. In that neighborhood, you’d have trouble finding anyone whose net worth was over $100.

10. Also while eating, some big, burly dude dropped his duffel bag on a table before heading into the washroom. And when he came out, it was still there. This is not the Old Country, chapter 7,541.

11. And that little round thingy is a circle . . .

12. Scenes at Niagara Falls State Park:

13. The Top of the Falls Restaurant, pictured above, was astonishingly closed for the season. I again repeat the words of a long-lost friend who once stated that the farther south you go, the wimpier they are about cold and snow. For the record, it went up to +16C on the day.

14. While waiting for the St. Catharines-bound GO bus to depart the Niagara Falls (Canada) Bus Terminal, a group of three who tried to board were shocked that they couldn’t pay their fare with a credit card. Following the driver’s instructions, they went inside, where they could use a credit card to purchase their tickets, but they didn’t make it back by the time the bus took off, leaving them with a full hour wait for the next bus. They had no right to complain, however, as the driver left at his scheduled time. It might have been considerate of him to wait a couple of minutes, but he had no obligation to do so.